Christmas Tree for St.Finian’s Church: Bought on Camden Street just down the road. Rosie sold it to me. She has a stand for vegetables all the year at the same place in Camden Street since her youth. Selling Christmas trees is a nice extra income. She was happy that the rain and cold wind stopped now.
Moritz who is with us once a week (as a part of the President’s Challenge for students) helped me bringing the tree to St. Finian’s.
From 15th December 2017 until 28th November Mariesophie Magnusson and her husband Andreas lived in Dublin: Mariesophie worked as assistant pastor with me. It was a really good time having a colleague for one year: The congregation enjoyed her sermons, the Sunday school (children’s Sunday service) was encouraged through her work, the “Deutscher Kaffeemorgen” (German Coffee Morning) got three interesting lectures by her, she represented our church in ecumenical and inter religious bodies, she and her husband were part of many events like the Christmas Bazar, and for me it was refreshing having theological discussions and catching up what’s going on in Theology and Church in Germany.
Being assistant pastor for one year is a fantastic opportunity by Mariesophie’s Church in Germany at the end of all her studies and her time in the seminary. A big Thank You! to her Church, the Evangelische Kirche in Hessen und Nassau” that paid her salary.
On 15th December 2018 she will get ordained in her first “own” parish which is Klingelbach, Katzenelnbogen (close to Limburg, Germany). Loads of blessings and good wishes from us to you!
Monday, 10th December 2018: Until now we raised 8.710,- Euro which is 10% of the sum we have to raise until a refurbishment of the roof will start. In addition to the funding we expect funds from the EKD (Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland).
For further details see http://www.lutheran-ireland.org, button “Kirchendach St.Finian’s”
Thanks a million to all who donated until now!
Friday 16th November
My wife Larissa and I were invited taking part at the Consecration of Bishop Sr. Sarah Groves, Moravian Church (Herrnhuter) in Gracehill, Ballymeena, Northern Ireland. It was a lovely service with a lot of singing and I was officially invited to take part in my black “pastoral” robe, representing the Lutheran Church and to greet Sarah.
Two interesting observations:
The Moravian Church has Bishops, but they are not “above” the other clergy, they are beside all pastors and members, doing pastoral work for the pastors and telling the gospel as everybody is doing that. They are not bound to a specified territory, only to the Province, which has one up to four bishops in the same time.
The election of a Bishop takes place in the Synod of the Province. There is no discussion and no panel with candidates! After somebody suggested an election it starts. In this case after three rounds Sr.Sarah was elected – and surprised. If it happens that after many election rounds no clear majority for one of the pastors occurs, the Synod postpones the election: The Holy Spirit says it is not the time yet for the election.
The Lutheran Church in Ireland uses the Moravian Church University Road in Belfast since thirty years for a Service in German language every last Sunday of a month and ist very grateful for this act of hospitality.
Some of you know me from the Odenwald Church Radio “B46”. I’m happy to continue with my “career” “on air”: today Domradio Köln called me for an interview, last week the Bayerischer Rundfunk: great fun – and hopefully my Brexit – Stories are interesting. The pic shows me as radio moderator in the Odenwald, ages ago. Special greetings to the former Radio-B46-Team!!!
10th November 2018: More than 100 Children and parents joint us in St. Finian’s Church for the Martin’s Service: “Carry the light into this world” was one of the songs, commemorating St. Martin, who shared his cloak with a beggar.
Today, 11th November 2018: 100 years ago WW I came to its end. With the war the strong connection of throne and altar died, and in WW II the connection of God and one Nation died in the gunfire: God is the light and the peace, he can’t be captured by nationalism or by the rulers of the world.
Carry the light into the world – the children did that yesterday. And they brought light, laughter and some money to a homeless man sitting there where we passed by.
For English speaking folks: Please have a look at the main papers (Summary: third from top) about the General assembly of the CPCE which can be found here.
Unter dem Slogan Befreit – verbunden – engagiert tagten die Delegierten aus 105 Mitgliedskirchen im Basler Münster. Es war beeindruckend, eine Kirche als Tagungsort zu erleben – Andachten und Debatten im selben Raum. Zukunftsweisend!
Mein Eindruck: Es gab keine bahnbrechenden Ergebnisse. Aber allein die Tatsache, dass die Vertreterinnen und Vertreter so unterschiedlicher Kirchen aus ganz Europa miteinander tagen, Erfahrungen (auch politische) austauschen und um eine gemeinsame Linie ringen, ist wichtig genug: Es gilt, die Balance auszuhalten zwischen einer Kirchengemeinschaft einerseits und den Interessen der einzelnen Kirchen andererseits – ganz ähnlich, wie das bei der Europäischen Union der Fall ist.
Ergebnisse aus der Konferenz, die für die Lutherische Kirche in Irland interessant sind:
Ein besonderer Abend wider die Europäische Krankheit der Angst war der Vortragsabend mit Andrea Riccardi, ehemals Außenminister in Italien. Er sagt: Die typische Krankheit Europas ist die Angst, und die Christen müssen aufpassen, dass sie sich davon nicht anstecken lassen. Nationalismus und Radikalismus sind Folgen dieser Angst. Unsere Gesellschaft des Geldes erzeugt einen grauen Nebel. Unsere Antwort darauf ist das Evangelium: In der Schwachheit bin ich stark, weil meine Kraft nicht von mir kommt. Es gilt, die Liebe Christi neu zu entdecken und weiter zu schenken. Weil die Kraft nicht von uns selbst kommt, können wir mutiger und fröhlicher werden.
Ich habe der Tagung insofern “gedient”, als ich Mitglied des Redaktionsausschusses war, der den Schlussbericht und weitere Protokolle geschrieben hat. Link dazu siehe oben.
